The present invention relates to a steering column fastening arrangement of the type disclosed in the German Patent Application No. P 36 16 246.9.
A deformation element is already described in the aforementioned application in connection with the involved embodiment which opposes to a movement of the steering column in case of a crash, a resistance by an energy-absorbing plate which is retained on a bow-shaped bracket member of the steering column.
The object of the present invention resides in providing an improved deformation element which involves a construction with few individual parts that can be easily manufactured and which assures a safe fastening of the steering column on the body side as well as a defined energy absorption in case of a crash.
The underlying problems are solved according to the present invention in that energy-absorbing plates are arranged between a lower support element of the bow-shaped bracket member and upper guide elements arranged parallel thereto which are supported at the steering bracket of the vehicle body and are provided with longitudinal slots which are arranged corresponding with further longitudinal slots of the support element on the side of the bow-shaped bracket member, and in that the guide elements extend over the entire length of the plate-side deformation sections and are each laterally delimited by longitudinal slots.
The advantages attained with the present invention reside in that it is achieved by clamping-in the energy-absorbing plates between a guide element and a support element that tear zones in the longitudinal direction of the slots guided by both elements are formed in the plates. With an energy-absorbing plate not clamped-in on both sides the laterally remaining tongues of the plate may tear off in a disadvantageous manner so that a uniform tearing along the longitudinal slots is no longer possible and no desired deformation behavior is achieved.
Also the friction between the fixed parts and the movable parts of the deformation element is improved by interposition of a slide layer.
It is achieved by a wider construction of the longitudinal slots in the support element of the bow-shaped bracket member than in the guide element that the displacement bolts cannot jam in the bow-shaped bracket member during displacement of the latter and that the torn up material of the plates can expand into the wider slots so that no jamming is caused.